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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29370666">road to acquaintanceship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/qrovers/pseuds/qrovers'>qrovers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Car Conversations, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mentioned Dana, PLATONIC ONLY - Freeform, Platonic Relationships, let them be besties in s2 pls, rachel breakdown again bc why not, this friendship (REAL)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:48:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29370666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/qrovers/pseuds/qrovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel saves Brad's life. Brad drives her home a week later.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brad Bakshi &amp; Rachel, Dana/Rachel (Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>road to acquaintanceship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p2">
  <strong>
    <span class="s2">MONDAY:</span>
  </strong>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">It happened so fast, they didn't even know how they were both lying on the street until their brain caught up to them. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The headline for tomorrow will probably be: Local lesbian saves irritating, psychopathic capitalist from rogue car. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad looks over at her. "You saved my life."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"I saved your life." Rachel says. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Then it catches up to her. She jumps, sitting up. "Holy shit,</span>
  <span class="s3"> I saved your life!" </span>
  <span class="s2">She says, happier.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">She stands up, repeating "Oh my god," over and over again because Oh my god, the possibilities. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You..." She says, looking down at him. Brad has his head in his hands. He can't believe it either. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You owe me now," Rachel says in between giggles. </span>
  <span class="s3">"You</span>
  <span class="s2"> owe </span>
  <span class="s3">me</span>
  <span class="s2"> now."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He doesn't respond. There's a pause. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel puts her hands on her hips. <em>"Braaaaaaaaaad."</em></span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He looks up at her, face indescribable. "What?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">She fishes out a receipt from the back of her pocket and holds it out to him. "I have some laundry to pick up at Launderino. It's at South Martel Avenue."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad just looks at her hand. He doesn't move. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">She waves it in front of his face. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He sighs. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A beat. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He takes it, rather aggressively. Rachel can't stop smiling.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">It's gonna be a fun week. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <strong>
    <span class="s2">WEDNESDAY:</span>
  </strong>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Tired and freshly awake, the night owl Rachel pushes through to go to the break room. She scans the shelves, grabs an empty mug and notices Brad at the end of the counter, making coffee. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Innocently, she slides her cup to him to signal she wants some too. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He stares at it for a moment, with awkward silence hanging in the air. He purses his lips and say, "You should've just let me die."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Okay, that's a bit much."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He puts creamer there too. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <strong>
    <span class="s2">FRIDAY NIGHT:</span>
  </strong>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad pulls up by the side of the road beside what appears to be a downer Rachel. He looks at her, then looks behind her at a bar that's almost closing, before unlocking the car door. Rachel gets in and sits on the passenger side wordlessly. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He drives away. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The car is silent until—</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"I can't believe you made me your own personal Uber."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel laughs. Then, slowly, it dissolves into uncontrollable sobbing. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Oh, God." Brad says, more with disdain than sympathy.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He stares for a moment, not really knowing what to do, he places his hand on her head and...pats it. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"What the fuck are you doing?" She asks quietly, confused. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">His hand jerks back. "I-I honestly have no idea."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He focuses on the road, awkwardly listening to her sniffing. This feels like a test he didn't study for. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Do you have tissue?" She asks. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Oh, yeah, here." He leans over and opens his glove compartment. Rachel gets some squares and blows her nose in them. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A beat. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Do you ever feel like you're unlovable? Or that your life is going sideways?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Which question do you want me to answer?" Then, under his breath, "I can't believe you're having a midlife crisis at 25. No wonder she called you an overachiever."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel: "The first one."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad, lightheartedly: "I'm the worst person to ask that. Do you see anything lovable about me?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He looks at her with eyebrows up, expecting no answer. She rolls her eyes. "Okay, second then."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A beat. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"'Course I have." He says, "5 years ago I had no friends, a dead end job and I wasn't talking to my family."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You still don't have friends now," Rachel thinks, and then realizes she said it out loud. "Sorry."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad doesn't seem hurt. "But I'm the head of monetization to a widely successful video game company now. So, who's the winner here?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"What about your family?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A beat. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad stares at the road. There's wistfulness in his voice, even if it sounds foreign. He says, "My sister and I are getting there."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Then the conversation stops there for a while. Rachel watches the traffic light turn green and the buildings blur as Brad drives. She thinks about her next question.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Who said I was an overachiever?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad sighs. "Dana."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"She talked about me?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"A lot. Wouldn't stop. When I told her it was annoying, she just did it even more. She likes you back, you know."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"H-how did you know I liked her?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Are you kidding me?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel shakes her head no. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"I was in a room with you two for a whole minute and you came out just save her from David and me."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Oh." Rachel ponders. "She told you she liked me?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"No. I just know."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You sound so sure."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You sound unsure."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"I am."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"Why? She's </span>
  <span class="s3">obsessed</span>
  <span class="s2"> with you."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel fidgets with her hands. She doesn't really know what to say. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A beat. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Brad says, "People can love you back, you know. No matter how hard you try, they will."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And Rachel looks at him. The words hit harder than she expected. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"I learned that the hard way." He says, pulling over. "We're here."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Rachel looks at her apartment building. Her eyes are glassy, but she's not sure why. She looks back at Brad and says a small, "Thank you."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He shrugs. "I literally owe you my life."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"You were a good friend today."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And Brad pauses, eyebrows shooting up. He didn't expect that, but he's not mad. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">"No problem."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i know canon gave us nothing but they. are. BEST FRIENDS</p></blockquote></div></div>
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